Czech club fined after Wayne Simmonds subject to racial taunts

Wayne Simmonds was unwittingly the subject of another incident earlier this week, just over a year after a fan threw a banana at him during an NHL exhibition game in London, Ont. (Bill Kostroun/Associated Press)

The Czech Republic's ice hockey federation says it has fined a club after its fans aimed racist chants toward Philadelphia Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds, who is playing in the top Czech league during the NHL lockout.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the federation said the Chomutov Pirates were fined 30,000 koruna ($1,554 US) by its disciplinary committee for the chants directed toward Simmonds, who currently plays for the Liberec White Tigers.

The incident took place during Sunday's game between the Pirates and the Tigers.

Chomutov has apologized to Simmonds, who is black, and the club said it would do everything it can to prevent any such abuse in the future.

Last year, a banana was thrown at Simmonds from the stands during an NHL pre-season game in London, Ont.